The Top Archaeological Discoveries of 2014

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With 2014 having drawn to a close, I thought I'd post some links to various takes on the Top Archaeological discoveries of the year. 2014 was indeed an exciting year in archaeology worldwide!

The first is the annual list of the Top 10 Discoveries by the editors of Archaeology Magazine, a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America.

The second is a Top 10 List from the HeritageDaily website, compiled by an analysis of trending stories with the most site visits, in conjunction with the overall magnitude of the discovery.

There's also a Top 5 list from the DigVentures website, as well as a look back on The Year 2014 in Archaeology on the BBC website. Great to see some Polynesian archaeology getting a mention in the latter.

These lists comprise the year's most compelling discoveries, the ones that grabbed the news headlines. To paraphrase the editors of Archaeology Magazine, the Amphipolis tomb, which has been apparently dated to the time of the famed king Alexander the Great, is a prime example of archaeology captivating the public imagination. There has been much speculation about who the tomb may belong to, with suggestions that it may be one of Alexander's generals or relatives (Alexander himself was buried in Egypt, although the exact location remains a mystery). Even the results of a detailed analysis of a skeleton found within the tomb, to be announced later this month, will likely not allow a definite identification of the tomb's occupant.


The excavation of the Amphipolis Tomb in Greece is a prime example of an archaeological project capturing the public imagination in 2014! 


Headline grabbing finds such as those in the lists linked above represent an extremely small proportion of all archaeology done. While I will definitely be keenly following the headline grabbing discoveries of 2015, my hope is that this blog will also provide a more balanced insight into the world of archaeology through my own experiences and reflections.


Thanks for reading,

Nick.

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